All Weather 223 Deer Rifle

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I love it when a plan comes together.......
 
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If you were in the market for a rifle to meet the following criteria, what would it be?

Non negotiable:

- chambered in 223
- stainless, synthetic (preferably carbon or fibreglass)
- for use in wild coast wet sands jungle for hunting pint sized blacktails

Bonus points:

- mini action
- irons
- readily available pic rails
- short barrel
- ultralight
-1:7 twist

What would your choice be?

I’m happy with my Browning X-Bolt Speed SR. It’s NOT stainless, but Cera-Coated, meets most other of your requirements.
 
All these bolt guns are available in .223

Browning X-Bolt stainless stalker

Tikka T3X stainless or Superlite

Ruger American All Weather

Savage Axis XP stainless

Remington Seven stainless (if you can find one)
 
Currently in a three way tie between the axis stainless, 110 Apex and giving up hunting and becoming a vegan.

Definitely leaning towards the last one
 
Currently in a three way tie between the axis stainless, 110 Apex and giving up hunting and becoming a vegan.

Definitely leaning towards the last one

We are all vegans, second order vegans that is. We eat plants through an intermediary processing system which removes their undesirable properties. In fact we are better vegans than ordinary ones, because through our system we eat plants that ordinary vegans won't touch.
 
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OK, gonna be a stick in the mud here, but 223 and the like are for gophers, chucks and yotes. Sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but if you're going to kill something, do it right with the proper tool. Headshots on small deer are just as likely to blow off a jaw as not. Ethical hunters anchor their prey with boiler room shots!
 
While not stainless, my Ruger American Ranch (556) has stood up to all manner of conditions, with very minimal maintenance, other than what you SHOULD do to keep a bolt action running. Stainless, does not mean stain never, and while many rifles have stainless barrels, the trigger assembly, firing pin, springs and other internal bits are more often not, and are far more likely to cause failure than the barrel or receiver. If i was going to set up a rifle for all weather i'd likely have every possible surface inside and out Cerakoted, oil the internals and call it a day.
 
OK, gonna be a stick in the mud here, but 223 and the like are for gophers, chucks and yotes. Sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but if you're going to kill something, do it right with the proper tool. Headshots on small deer are just as likely to blow off a jaw as not. Ethical hunters anchor their prey with boiler room shots!

Who said he was planning on "head-shots"?

The fact that he is looking for a fast twist barrel suggests he is intending on utilizing heavy for calibre bullets. A .223 loaded with a 70 grain Accubond or 62 grain TTSX will definitely kill any deer that walks - not only little West Coast Blacktails - with a broadside shot out to the far side of 250 yards.

It is the bullet that penetrates and kills not the cartridge it is launched from.
 
Who said he was planning on "head-shots"?

The fact that he is looking for a fast twist barrel suggests he is intending on utilizing heavy for calibre bullets. A .223 loaded with a 70 grain Accubond or 62 grain TTSX will definitely kill any deer that walks - not only little West Coast Blacktails - with a broadside shot out to the far side of 250 yards.

It is the bullet that penetrates and kills not the cartridge it is launched from.


Live a little and load it with 88 ELD m’s and crush bones on anything in the province short of bison at double that distance….

To speak to the OP’s request, the Ruger ‘Murican is stainless/synthetic. Twisted 1:8”. No open sights though. But the ones I’ve shot have been exceptionally accurate.
 
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Live a little and load it with 88 ELD m’s and crush bones on anything in the province short of bison at double that distance….

Lol. I was just looking for your post about your moose this year to show him what a little. 223 can do.
 
While not stainless, my Ruger American Ranch (556) has stood up to all manner of conditions,

Funny, that's the blued gun that collected rust last time.

Poor machining and polishing really shows their flaws in wet weather.

It's good to know that stainless can rust, and 223's can't kill deer though
 
Wish there was more guns available in 1/7" twist as a factory option. The 77gr LRX looks like a great deer bullet. Or Kodiak's 88gr ELD. At least the 8" twist can handle 77gr TMK which is a great game bullet.

Would also go with the Tikka, despite not being a mini action and not being as fast a twist as you wanted. The option of the Mag3d magazine I picked up for heavy bullets loaded to longer than AR mag length was nice
 
OK, gonna be a stick in the mud here, but 223 and the like are for gophers, chucks and yotes. Sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but if you're going to kill something, do it right with the proper tool. Headshots on small deer are just as likely to blow off a jaw as not. Ethical hunters anchor their prey with boiler room shots!

Boiler room shots with a good 223 bullet will do more damage than what many consider to be good deer bullet/cartrige combos. Like a 30-30, etc.

And bones in something as small as a deer are not stopping them.
 
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